Concrete Sky
Beth Orton

Faith has a good side still everyone she ever loved they all turned bad
Constance his own way of breathing and you know
You couldn't will him to survive
Couldn't will him if you if you tried, and there's a concrete sky
Falling from the trees again and you know now why
It's not coming round too soon
It's harder than a heartbreak too

I've seen your good side but I still don't know just what it is
That you might want
See you've got your own way of moving
And you know you could save me
Save your soul, I'll save some of you
Save my soul, feel like I'm falling feel like I'm falling
And there's a concrete sky
Falling from the trees again and you know now why
It's not coming round too soon, it's harder than a heartbreak too
It's tough enough what love will do

So much time gets lost in my mind
But I know now what I must rely on
It's a sound and forgetting, ain't the worst thing
I've been out walking don't do too much talking
Wouldn't take too much time, wouldn't take all your time
'Cause it's as precious as mine

Save my soul, I'll save some for you
Save my soul feel like I'm falling feel like I'm falling
And there's a concrete sky
Falling from the trees again and you know now why
It's not coming round too soon, it's harder than a heartbreak too
It's tough enough what love will do
And you're as precious as mine
And you're as precious as mine...

-- There's over 6,000 people here for the different Congresses. That's a lot of congregated and concentrated geek action.

-- While there are that many people here for the entire Congress, there's only 20-25ish people in our particular conference. When you figure that almost half of them are from my university, it's a little discouraging. Hopefully we'll have more people show for tomorrow.

-- It's rained non-stop (pretty much) since we arrived on Saturday. I'm ready for some dry clothes and sunny skies.

-- So far, my favorite paper (besides the ones from my fellow Saskatchewan rhetoric-heads) was about Ralph Ellison's book Invisible Man. The speaker opened his paper with the idea of the word: Do we possess the word or are we in fact possessed by it? It's an interesting concept to explore -- are our words owned by us or are we in fact controlled by the words we choose to employ? During the question time, I felt especially geeky bringing up Kenneth Burke's theory of logology.

-- Along with this issue of the power of words -- it was also fun to hear a talk about Southern literature. It's been ages since I've heard a discussion on these works, and it made me especially homesick. Then again, lots of things nowadays make me homesick.

-- Tonight we had dinner with a huge group of people at a Greekish restaurant down in the artsy part of Winnipeg. Lots of laughing, wine drinking, and tzaziki flowed. After that, we went to a dessert place called "Baked Expectations" and had our sugar fix. Laura and I shared some chocolate chip cookie concoction.

Brown Eyed Blues
Ben Harper

If I knew being here with you today,
Would mean being alone tomorrow
I would gladly trade all of my tomorrows away
For a moment with you.

Brown eyed blues
You can find yourself another fool.

Can you look, can you look into my eyes
Or has your heart, said has your heart gone blind?
Can you look, can you look into your own
And find the safe place to hide?

Brown eyed blues
You can find yourself another fool.

Why be with strangers
When you can be with your friend?
If you're ever lonely
You know I'm lonely too
And I will stay lonely until I'm again with you.

I said brown eyed blues
You can find yourself another fool.

I said brown eyed blues
You can find yourself another fool.
Singing brown eyed. . .

Earlier in the chapter we referred to terms of considerable potency whose referents it is virtually impossible to discover or to construct through imagination. I shall approach this group by calling them "charismatic terms." It is the nature of the charistmatic term to have a power which is not derived, but which is in some mysterious way given.

[...] Such rhetorical sensibility as I have leads me to believe that one of the principal charismatic terms of our age is "freedom." The greatest sacrifices that contemporary man is called upon to make are demanded in the name of "freedom"; yet the referent which the average man attaches to this word is most obscure.

-- Richard Weaver, "Ultimate Terms in Contemporary Rhetoric" The Ethics of Rhetoric

I know there were some parents that were concerned about my speech here tonight, and I want to assure you that you will not hear any language that is not common at, say, a dock workers union meeting, or Tourrett’s convention, or profanity seminar. Rest assured.

I am honored to be here and to receive this honorary doctorate. When I think back to the people that have been in this position before me from Benjamin Franklin to Queen Noor of Jordan, I can’t help but wonder what has happened to this place. Seriously, it saddens me. As a person, I am honored to get it; as an alumnus, I have to say I believe we can do better. And I believe we should. But it has always been a dream of mine to receive a doctorate and to know that today, without putting in any effort, I will. It’s incredibly gratifying. Thank you. That’s very nice of you, I appreciate it.

I’m sure my fellow doctoral graduates—who have spent so long toiling in academia, sinking into debt, sacrificing God knows how many years of what, in truth, is a piece of parchment that in truth has been so devalued by our instant gratification culture as to have been rendered meaningless—will join in congratulating me. Thank you.

[...] So how do you know what is the right path to choose to get the result that you desire? And the honest answer is this. You won’t. And accepting that greatly eases the anxiety of your life experience.

I was not exceptional here, and am not now. I was mediocre here. And I’m not saying aim low. Not everybody can wander around in an alcoholic haze and then at 40 just, you know, decide to be president. You’ve got to really work hard to try to…I was actually referring to my father.

When I left William and Mary I was shell-shocked. Because when you’re in college it’s very clear what you have to do to succeed. And I imagine here everybody knows exactly the number of credits they needed to graduate, where they had to buckle down, which introductory psychology class would pad out the schedule. You knew what you had to do to get to this college and to graduate from it. But the unfortunate, yet truly exciting thing about your life, is that there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective. The paths are infinite and the results uncertain. And it can be maddening to those that go here, especially here, because your strength has always been achievement. So if there’s any real advice I can give you it’s this.

College is something you complete. Life is something you experience. So don’t worry about your grade, or the results or success. Success is defined in myriad ways, and you will find it, and people will no longer be grading you, but it will come from your own internal sense of decency which I imagine, after going through the program here, is quite strong…although I’m sure downloading illegal files…but, nah, that’s a different story.

Love what you do. Get good at it. Competence is a rare commodity in this day and age. And let the chips fall where they may.

Communication
The Cardigans

For 27 years I’ve been trying to believe and confide in
Different people I’ve found.
Some of them got closer then others
Some wouldn’t even bother and then you came around
I didn’t really know what to call you, you didn’t know me at all
But I was happy to explain.
I never really knew how to move you
So I tried to intrude through the little holes in your veins
And I saw you
But that’s not an invitation
That’s all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I’ve seen you, I know you
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect

You always seem to know where to find me and I’m still here behind you
In the corner of your eye.
I’ll never really learn how to love you
But I know that I love you through the hole in the sky.

Where I see you
And that’s not an invitation
That’s all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I’ve seen you, I know you
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect

Well this is an invitation
It’s not a threat
If you want communication
That’s what you get
I’m talking and talking
But I don’t know
How to connect
And I hold a record for being patient
With your kind of hesitation
I need you, you want me
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect
I disconnect.

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.

It's interesting that people think watching the video or enabling others to watch it protects their freedom. You know, just because you're free to do something doesn't mean you should do it. You have the freedom to engage in ethical decision making and personal restraint, too, and doing so in no way compromises your freedom. In fact, deciding not to do something can be an act of freedom as much as deciding to do something might be -- the freedom is in the capacity to decide. People who post the snuff video argue that everyone should have the freedom to decide on their own.